They tell you that college is the best time of your life, and it is-- but at the same time, it really isn’t.

I hated middle school. I never wanted to be there. The classes were boring, the teachers and other students were mean, and the seats were uncomfortable. Others told me that high school would be the best years of my time in public school, and I’ll admit that things did get a bit better. Classes got more interesting and I made more friends who backed me up; the seats were still uncomfortable. That's when comments started to come in that college is where it’s at. College is where you will meet your lifelong friends, go to the best parties, and overall just have a great time. Yeah, they tell you, classes will be hard, and yeah, it’s expensive, but it’ll be the best time of your life.

What they don’t tell you though that this is also the most mentally taxing time of your life. You're not told about how hellish that part actually is. If you do get warnings of the stress to come, for the most part you laugh and don’t believe them. College students seem to be doing great. They have their life together and still often revel on the days past. You expect to have the same time of your life during college, and that everything will fall into place naturally. Even if you don’t feel that people think the world of you, you expect to have your life together.

For the most part, you are so far from that being a reality.

The reality of college hits you like a bus as you realize it’s not the big, life changing events that tear you down, it’s the constant wave of small issues that tear down the drive of the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed freshman you started as. When the reality of a heavy course load creates bags under your eyes from lack of sleep, that's when you develop a caffeine addiction. It’s these things that become romanticized by those who get enough sleep and don’t need caffeine to survive. You don't get told about the awkward transition from a high school mentality to one of a functioning adult and how it's such a long process. You weren't told that the school food you get fed is actually pretty awful and when you gain the freshman 15 it may not be from lack of working out like everyone says. Instead, it's more from stress-eating because you feel like you're going to implode at any given moment.

Things are going to get awkward and you're going to struggle between wanting romantic relationships and true bonds and not having time to do anything except for writing papers and cramming for exams. You will actually meet the most amazing friends, but then you’ll feel bad when you don't want to see them because if you do you might have a mental breakdown. There are amazing events and club meetings on campus happening all the time, but you don't have the time to go to them. And when you do, you don't have nearly as much fun as you anticipated. Instead, you spend the whole time worrying about the things you have to do before class tomorrow or for the test coming up in the next couple days.

In trying to get your life together, you take on far more than you can actually handle. You make last-minute decisions and then almost regret when you decide to add a second major your junior year. You have to fumble through ridiculously difficult red tape to study abroad so that you can fulfill at least one dream before graduation.

But even with all the stress, with all the pressure to succeed and at the same time be happy: it's worth it. The classes you’re able to take and the new experiences that happen make the time spent mentally preparing yourself for the day, week, or semester ahead worthwhile. The ability to find your passions and work towards bigger and better things for yourself is uncomparable. You love learning about all sorts of different subjects and one day you're going to be in a magical new country learning all new things; all because you knew that you could stick this out and move forward. Because of the strength you've shown and the strength you've gained during college you will be a working adult (eventually) and may even be happy with your life... but for now, you have to work through the hell that is college.

A blissful, anxiety-riddled, incredibly fun hell.

So yeah, college may be the best time of our lives, but it may as well also be one of the most difficult. And I, for one, wouldn’t do a single thing differently.